According to Mr Guzder, the acquisitions are likely to be made in the same order i.e. South, West and North. Elaborating on the reasons for choosing the regions, he said that the South has good roads logistic network and it is easy to connect all the four States. “There are many points in these four States where the roads intersect and there are also two greenfield airports coming up. Plus there is Chennai that is a growing gateway so that’s the region of enormous potential, especially as the auto industry is now becoming so important in the Chennai area,” he said.

In western region, he said that linkages between Gujarat and Maharashtra have not been strong. “There are business requirements to move between these two States. And for the North, though we have deep penetration in the National Capital Region, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana, as we go further east in the North we have some gaps, especially between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.”

AFL operates in contract logistics space as well as express courier space through its domestic brand WiZ Express. It also provides international services through its recently formed partnership with UPS Jetair Express. The company also formed a joint venture with DACHSER, one of the largest logistics group in the world and one of the leading freight management companies in India.

It also tied up with Cartridge World, the Australian speciality cartridge retailing chain, as their master franchisee for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.